The Aviation History & Technology Center — Attraction in Georgia

This museum was formerly named The Aviation Wing, and is now known as the Aviation History and Technology Center.

The AHTC is absolutely a gem. It is easy to drive past this museum off Atlanta Street just south of Cobb Drive and mistake it for being part of Lockheed or the broader Dobbins complex. Instead, this is in fact a very special aviation museum that is open to the public. Don't worry - even though it's adjacent to Dobbins Air Reserve Base, you won't have to actually enter the secure perimeter to get to the museum!

At the south end is an aircraft and memorial garden where you will find well-preserved examples of public favorites such as the F-14 Tomcat of Top Gun fame, the A-6 Intruder of the eponymous Flight of the Intruder (this particular airframe once served as the gate guard of the now defunct Dobbins Naval Air Station), the S-3 Viking, and an A-4 Skyhawk.

You'll see the first of the bizjets, Lockheed's own JetStar, which rather uncommonly had four rear-mounted engines. In more normal, non-COVID impacted times you are permitted to tour the interior of the plane and see how the early jet setters traveled in style, long before it became trendy for social media "influencers" to have their pictures taken inside aircraft fuselage mockups before they hop into their basic economy middle seats bound for wherever they're headed to take more selfies.

To the north you'll see the heavy iron (Editor's note - actually mostly lightweight but strong aluminum, these being aircraft) - an AC-130 gunship that is one of the museum's newest exhibits is hard to miss. But the real showpiece of the museum and what truly makes it unique is the extensively restored, four-engined Lockheed YC-141B Starlifter sitting on the northeast corner of the ramp.

The Starlifter at the museum was built at Lockheed in Marietta, and is the first airframe that was modified as the prototype B model (hence the YC model designation). Amongst other modifications the B was given an extended fuselage, and a notable hump above the cockpit that hides an inflight refueling probe. Over the course of the last decade the dedicated museum staff has lovingly and skillfully restored this aircraft into one of the finest military static displays you'll find anywhere - and that includes static displays of active aircraft such as those you'll find at air shows. Part of the cargo area is outfitted with different types of seats used in transport operations. The cockpit has been completely restored and is worth a look by pilots and aficionados alike, although at the moment (late Feb 2021) access is temporarily limited thanks once again to COVID.

There's more to see than what I outlined above, and one thing you won't find on the website is the dedicated, knowledgeable, and experienced volunteer staff which in my recent visit included a genuine Top Gun naval aviator with 4000+ hours in the F-14 and a former C-141 navigator who helped oversee the masterful restoration of the museum's example.

Net, if you live in or are visiting Atlanta and have an interest in military aviation (or just think you might), the Aviation History and Technology Center in Marietta...

Wonderful place! I visited yesterday, after living in the area my whole life and not knowing this was here. It's tucked away on the Lockheed plant base. It's an open air museum, aka outdoors. There are currently 15 planes to view, each with a placard with information. The tours are self-guided unless you book as a group. There is one plane you can tour, the largest of the collection, and there is a guide on that plane to offer a lot of information as you make your way thru the cargo hold and into the cockpit. I learned a lot about not only the planes, but also the museum. For everyone who gave bad reviews, I specifically made a cash donation on behalf of you and read your ridiculous reviews to the staff as I did. They enjoyed the laugh. Yes it's old planes - It's a museum. No they don't control the weather in an outdoor museum. Sure you can say it's an odd collection, as all the planes have been donated. Not exactly sure why someone would give a bad review stating the reason is because they aren't a fan of aviation - it's an aviation museum. For those leaving bad reviews due to the $5 admission donation, this is a volunteer organization with donated planes. They must pay for upkeep, restoration, and transportation to get the planes to the base. Not all can be flown, so they must pay for other transportation. They are currently working towards adding a museum indoor facility on site, so your admission fee goes toward that also. I definitely received more than $5 of information and thrill exploring these great aircraft and honoring those who flew them. I am appreciative of the veterans and volunteers who were on site yesterday to help me learn more. I will return and bring friends with me. This is a wonderful local...

Many thanks to all the men and women who have given of their time and effort to preserve all these aircraft,some of which were "leftovers" from earlier tenant units on the Dobbins property.All of them represent a part of a rich American aviation history. Of particular note is the the C-141B. Like the static display B-29 on the other side of Dobbins,this aircraft shares a rich history with Plant 6 and Marietta. That she now sits fully restored and available to the public of all ages is a testament to everyone's hard work. While all of these aircraft have stories to tell,the C-141B has a special meaning to me.I flew both C-141As and the C-141B over a 21-year career,retiring in 1993 with "just" 3000 hours.She took her crews all over the world,often times putting them in the middle of extraordinary situations and events.She was a powerful aircraft,reliable in every sense of the word.Perhaps more amazing is,like the AHTC volunteers,there is a story to be told of the countless men and women on the ground who kept her just that way until she was retired in 2006. Of the 285 built,there are only a few left now,all of which are static display.This is but one.But she will be here for all to see,enjoy and understand...in her case...what Strategic Airlift looks like. ...and for old guys like me,a chance to come visit...